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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29542242">The stars</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/themoonowl/pseuds/themoonowl'>themoonowl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Real Hero [33]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canonical Character Death, David Anderson POV, Death, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Mass Effect 3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:27:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>570</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29542242</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/themoonowl/pseuds/themoonowl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>David Anderson's final moments.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Male Shepard &amp; David Anderson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Real Hero [33]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1429021</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Optional listening: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DJ3-BVMjOs">Outro by M83</a></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They say, when you die, your life flashes before your eyes.</p>
<p>Perhaps that was what this was: the last moment of an old man, an old soldier, finishing the job.</p>
<p>David had always known it would end like this. He never was the type to spend his last moments in a hospital bed, his old mind stuck in memories, unable to focus on the present.</p>
<p>Like his old man, who'd lost his mind about a month before he joined the stars. Or like Ursula, who never stopped talking, even on her deathbed. Even as life faded away from her eyes. No, this was a fitting death: a battle happening right before his eyes, the last battle he’d ever see.</p>
<p>“You ever wonder,” he asked, “how things would have been different? How our lives would be different if this hadn’t happened?”</p>
<p>“All the time,” Shepard answered, the voice of a soldier weary from war.</p>
<p>It was fitting too, that Shepard would be by his side, even in his final moments. The only man who knew just how much sacrifice this war had asked. Of himself. Of the people he cared about. It was only fitting that Shepard would be there, sending him back to the stars.</p>
<p>But how <em> would </em>his life be different?</p>
<p>David only wished he could see her one more time, Cynthia. Tell her he’s sorry. For everything. Tell her—tell her she was right. Tell her, she was right to move away. Or else—or else she would mourn him, be a widow. She wasn't widow material. She deserved someone she could grow old with, not to mourn a soldier.</p>
<p>And Kahlee—<em>ah, Kahlee.</em> <em>We were supposed to retire together, see the galaxy.</em> Instead—instead, well. “I never had a family, Shepard. Never had children.” That was fitting, too. Both he and Kahlee spending their final days married to their life’s work.</p>
<p>“There will be time enough for that now,” <em> he says. </em> So hopeful and bright, even from the first moment David met him.</p>
<p>He turned to what he hoped was Shepard. His eyes were giving out, the darkness was setting in. But that scene, that day<em>—that </em> he could see clearly: a scared young man folded into himself in his office, willing to sacrifice a successful military career over a relationship gone bad.</p>
<p>He'd done the galaxy a favor that day, convincing Shepard to stay. And the galaxy took and took and took so much, even Shepard's life. It didn't stop taking after that.</p>
<p>“You and Alenko. You’ll make great dads.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, sir.” <em> Sir, he says, </em> like he wasn’t the son David never had.</p>
<p>No, no, Shepard would do alright. David wasn’t going to be here much longer, but Shepard was. Shepard <em> needed </em> to be. Enough had been taken from him. It was time for that boy to live his life. On his own terms.</p>
<p>David however—he had one last thing to give to the galaxy. The most precious, unique thing in the entire universe. What made it have meaning, what made <em> him </em> have meaning.</p>
<p>He felt it fade away, felt himself fade away. All of his memories, all the emotions, the joy, the sadness—drifting farther and farther from him. Like a dream.</p>
<p>This was it.</p>
<p>“You did good, son. You did good.”</p>
<p>It was time. It was his time.</p>
<p>“I’m proud of you,” his final breath. His last words.</p>
<p>He joined the stars.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The end.</p>
<p>Or rather, the end of the Mass Effect trilogy, and thus the end of this series, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/series/1429021">A Real Hero</a>.</p>
<p>But not Samed's end.</p>
<p>Samed's story continues, in a series fittingly called: <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/series/2180706">On Our Own Terms</a>. As well as a fic set after the Reaper war coming very soon, titled "Back to life".</p>
<p>Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed Samed's journey so far!</p>
<p>Last but not least, I'd like to extend the biggest thank you to the people in Writer's Workshop. People that walked Samed's journey with me, constantly enriching it with their ideas, feedback, writing prompts. 99,724 words in this series, I couldn't have written them without you. ❤️ Here's to you! 🥂</p></blockquote></div></div>
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